Consumable and non-consumable pet toys or treats provide a variety of benefits for both pets and their handlers. Various types of toys and treats can encourage positive interaction and socialization between a pet and its handlers. Chewable pet toys and treats can provide pets with entertainment and relief from stress caused by separation anxiety, loneliness and boredom. Chewable pet toys and treats can also provide for enhanced dental prophylaxis and masticatory exercise, and relief from pain associated with teething. Treats such as bully sticks (i.e., bull pizzle), rawhide sticks and other chewable animal food products are popular consumable toys or treats for pets. However, pets often instinctively consume chewable objects, including both durable and consumable objects, in-part or in-whole. This can frequently lead to circumstances that are detrimental to the health of the pet.
Choking due to ingestion of chewable pet toys or treats by dogs is a common reason for emergency visits to animal hospitals and veterinarian offices. Although a minority of these cases results in death, emergency medical treatment is costly. Bully sticks and rawhide sticks can be particularly problematic due to their appealing taste and satisfying decomposition during extended chewing, with dogs often attempting to consume the entire treat rather than merely chewing on it. Extended chewing of bully sticks and rawhide can produce a soggy, gooey mass that, if swallowed, can lodge in a dog's throat or become impacted in the digestive tract, leading to choking, impaction, and other potentially life-threatening consequences. The more that the dog drinks or the dog's body produces saliva to try to dislodge the bully stick or rawhide, the more the mass swells, further exacerbating the problem. Additionally, dog's frequently attempt to swallow unchewed or partially-chewed ends of treat that they can no longer effectively grasp with their forepaws, creating an additional or greater risk due to the still-rigid nature and often unmanageable length of the incompletely-chewed end of the treat.
The cost of treats such as bully sticks and other consumable chew toys can deter pet owners from removing the end of the toy from their pets, as removing and discarding the short end that the pet is unable to effectively grasp and chew can frequently comprise a significant portion of the overall toy length. Some pet owners simply elect not to offer their pets consumable treats such as bully sticks or rawhide sticks due to safety concerns and/or cost considerations related to the portion of such treats that are difficult for the pet to chew and safely consume.
Various pet toys are available that can be used to hold treats or consumable chew toys. However, currently available toys do not securely hold a treat. Thus, improved treat holders and methods of securing pet treats are desirable.